GALVESTON, Texas (April 13, 2023) Elissa, a three-masted barque and one of three ships of her kind still active, transits the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Galveston Beach during Tall Ships Challenge Galveston 2023. Galveston Historical Foundation brought Elissa, an 1877 square-rigged iron barque, from a scrap yard in Piraeus Harbor, Greece to Galveston to begin restoration work in 1978. By 1982, GHF staff and volunteers completed restoration and transformed this rare, historic vessel into a floating museum that would actively sail. Elissa welcomes over 40,000 visitors annually and serves as the Official Tall Ship of Texas, a National Historic Landmark and a symbol of the Gulf Coast’s historic beginnings as a seaport and active waterfront. Founded in 1973, Tall Ships America is a non-profit organization commended by Congress as The National Sail Training Organization representing the United States. The 2023 Tall Ships Galveston festival at the Galveston Historic Seaport hosts tours of participating ships, numerous special events, sail-away excursions, music, food, and fun in a family-friendly format. Galveston Island serves as one of three ports for the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE® Gulf Coast 2023 Series, which features a fleet of ships traveling across the Gulf of Mexico as they visit other participating cities.